Envision’s critical role in infrastructure sustainability

Envision is an easy to use, flexible resource that facilitates the development and maintenance of sustainable infrastructure. It provides value at every step of the process—from the earliest planning stages throughout operations.

The Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system is a comprehensive framework of 60 sustainability criteria that address the full range of environmental, social, and economic impacts to sustainability in project design, construction, and operation. These criteria—called “credits”—are arranged in five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, and Climate and Risk. The full Envision guidance manual detailing the credits is provided at no cost to users.

Envision recognizes that sustainable infrastructure isn’t just about doing the project right, it’s also about doing the right project. To determine the right project, Envision can be used in the earliest planning phases to evaluate infrastructure sustainability options that can result in significantly better outcomes. To do the project right, during the design and construction phases Envision provides a detailed, comprehensive set of criteria that help ensure that all significant areas of impact, as well as stakeholder views, are considered. Last but not least, when the project is complete, Envision serves as a basis for a project sustainability evaluation, helping stakeholders understand exactly how the project succeeded.

Additionally, the more a professional uses Envision, the more he or she internalizes its lessons and strategic insights. After receiving training in the use of this resource, practitioners can earn the Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) credential, an indicator of their proficiency in the most advanced infrastructure sustainability resource available. For maximum flexibility, Envision can be used online, downloaded in PDF format for use on a desktop or mobile device, or kept as a hard copy reference. Learn more about Envision.